Stephanie Potts

“Traversing metro Detroit with photographer Roy Ritchie and Art Director Cassidy Zobl and the amazing cast of Russian characters for the fashion photo shoot/photo story was beyond memorable. We used locations I’d never seen — like our ’70s motel for our glamorous vixen model,” Potts says. “Roy and Cassidy converted the spaces so authentically, they felt as though they were always that way and we had just stepped into them as they were — untouched.” Potts is a Detroit-based freelance stylist who works with commercial and editorial clients. She has returned to her Michigan roots after spending time in San Diego and San Francisco.

Alexa Stanard

Oak Park-based freelance writer Stanard, who writes about metro Detroit coffee roasters in this issue, didn’t start drinking coffee until she was 30. “I grew up in a house with parents who drank instant decaf,” she says. “It was pretty hard to understand its appeal.” A job as a political writer in Lansing (with a daily commute from Ferndale) prompted her to start exploring caffeinated brews. Today, she knows just enough about coffee to say she enjoys cups from Costa Rica and Kenya, and says she’s happy for the plentiful opportunities to explore more. “Detroit is developing a real coffee culture, with cafés that combine our city’s lack of snobbishness with coffee that’s worth bragging about. It’s exciting.”

Rebecca Voigt

Hour Detroit’s new style editor, Voigt has worked as a stylist, writer, and editor. A proud graduate of Wayne State University, her work has appeared in local, national, and international publications, including 944, La’G, BG, Prim, Cliché and Hint. For her first Hour Detroit fashion spread, Voigt was inspired by the cinematic concept. “For this shoot, the clothes really had to tell a story, and it was so much fun to approach the models as characters,” she says. Voigt — a self-professed fashion junkie and magazine addict —writes a style blog, Paper + Cloth, and is also a dedicated amateur ballerina.

Roy Ritchie

For this issue, Ritchie combined a photo story depicting the quirky translations of Russian proverbs with fall-fashion images. “This shoot was a huge combined effort,” Ritchie says. “I was really lucky to have so many great people working with me to make it happen.” As for the results, he says, “It’s difficult to choose a favorite image, but maybe the chess game. I love the color.” Ritchie’s work for Hour Detroit was recently cited in Communication Arts and Applied Arts. In addition to his regular contributions to this magazine, Ritchie has done commercial and editorial work for Bloomberg, Bon Appétit, and ESPN The Magazine.